Hello, Time Lady
by ThereBeDragons17
Summary: River crosses paths with a new prisoner in Stormcage, and they have something surprising in common...
1. Chapter 1

Honestly, River thought, life in Stormcage was't that bad.

Oh, there were downsides, of course. The water in the shower was always cold, and the soap smelled like chemicals, and you couldn't get a snack whenever you wanted to. But she could request books from the rather extensive library. They allowed her art supplies. Heck, they even allowed her to publish academic papers from the confines of her cell.

Not that she couldn't leave the cell. Well, _technically, _if you wanted to examine the many layers of security that had accumulated outside her bars, it would be impossible. But River Song loved the impossible. That is to say, she liked breaking it. Sort of in the same way she liked breaking rules. River could waltz out of her cell, zap away to another planet, grab a nice dress, and pop in for dinner with the Doctor without having to worry about the prison guards finding her. They never did, after all. Most of the time they didn't even notice. For each escape they catalogued, there were at least three others they missed completely.

But as fun as it was to leave them completely perplexed as to how she escaped, it was much less tiring to simply stay in. That wasn't too terribly boring either, although after a week or two she did begin to crave a change of scenery and often the company of a certain Time Lord. Now, however, she had just returned from an archaeological dig 2,000 years into the future on a planet called Pevarian X or something ridiculous like that. The Pevarians had been rather miffed to find them digging up the tomb of their first emperor, and had chased them off the planet with blow-guns popping away. So River was happy just to sit on her cot and doodle Gallifreyan in her diary.

She heard the echo of marching feet and at first assumed that it was a guard making his/her rounds. She realized they were far too early. Then she realized that there were several pairs of feet.

She looked up as calmly as she could and stared out the bars on her cell, waiting for them to come around. She hoped they hadn't come to question her again. They normally marched her out of her cell to the little room down the hall with an impressive entourage and injected her with a truth serum, which she was immune to, as a part-Time Lord. It was an annoyance, although it was fun to see the guards go red when she was supposedly telling the truth. Or they could be coming to move her again. After her latest break-out they had moved her down to the lowest level of the prison, four stories below ground and with only four other cells.

But they hadn't come for her. As the guards crossed into her line of sight she saw that they were escorting someone _in. _A young woman, certainly no more than twenty-five, probably younger, marched in perfect time with the guards. At first glance River assumed she was one of them, before realizing her hands were cuffed behind her back. She had long, straight blond hair that she had pulled back in a ponytail, and wore form-fitting olive green T-shirt and black pants. She was very pretty, River had to admit. She sort of… bounced along, even though she was marching. It wasn't very noticeable, but she did spring up on her toes a bit. She also had a broad grin on her face, showing off her white teeth.

_If she's a lunatic, she'd better not make too much noise, _River decided. _Not like the last one. _

When she had been transferred, there had been a Botavichian across the hall, who moaned consistently all night and all day. River had considered breaking into his cell and gagging him, but had decided she didn't want to face a Botavichian bare-handed. The guards had shut him up soon, anyways.

The guards placed the blond girl in her cell and locked the door. She stuck her face between the bars and smiled at the one securing the lock. "Won't be long 'til I'm out of here, I bet."

The guard snorted, then looked at River apprehensively before pocketing the key and leaving, the hoard of guards following.

The blonde spun on her heel and examined her cell, before turning to smile charmingly at River, who flashed a wry smile back. If this girl thought that she could be best buddies with her cellmates in Stormcage, she was severely mistaken. River started forming threats in her mind incase the blonde attempted to start a conversation.

She did.

"What's your name, then?" She asked. Her voice was a bit girlish too, River thought.

"None of your business," River said absently, retuning to her drawing.

The blonde, unfortunately, wasn't fazed. "Well, I'm Jenny."

River let out an impassive _hmm. _

"What landed you here?" She asked. God, if there was anything worse than a moaning cellmate, it was a chatty one.

"I murdered a man," River said calmly. Jenny blinked but didn't withdraw from where she was pressed against the bars. River noticed that her high boots were well-worn leather. She didn't know why she noticed that all of the sudden, but she thought that Jenny looked like a soldier in her tight but unrestrictive clothes.

"I broke into a bank," Jenny said. "Well, I really broke _it, _not _into. _It sort of… caved in… I didn't really mean to, I didn't kill anyone, I swear—"

A guard walked past and banged his gun on the bars, making them vibrate. "No more talkin', or I come in there!"

River heard Jenny pull back from the bars. She didn't speak again after the guard had left. River had stopped moving her pen, listening. She heard the squeak of springs as the blonde settled down on her cot, and more squeaks as she shifted around experimentally. River heard a pair of thuds as the girl's boots hit the concrete floor. She glanced up to see her re-doing her ponytail, and decided that her new cellmate wouldn't be doing anything interesting anytime soon. Bless, the guard seemed to have actually scared the poor thing.

Jenny looked awfully young and innocent to have committed a crime that would land her in Stormcage, but River had learned that sometimes the most innocent people could be the most deadly. She would know. By the time she was eleven, she could fire a gun, defuse a bomb, assemble an IED, and use poisoned lipstick. But in all fairness she had received a less-than-average childhood and significant lack of parenting.

Jenny had stopped moving around and appeared to be meditating. River held back a snort. A minute ago the girl had been humming with energy, and now she was fully composed and self-centered. If River had to take a guess, she would have said that Jenny was human, but something seemed off about her. A feeling River just couldn't place.

_Hello again. Are you going to actually reply this time?_

River's pen clattered to the ground as the word echoed through her mind in Jenny's voice. She recognized the faint psychic link immediately, but she had never… only the Doctor had ever been able to contact her that way. It was a Time Lord thing. A Time Lord thing…

_Hello, _River thought back cautiously.

_Are you a Time Lady? _Jenny asked mentally.

River shook her head, then realized that Jenny still had her eyes closed and couldn't see her. _In a manner of speaking. _

_Oh, _Jenny thought to her. _I am too. In a manner of speaking. _

_What manner of speaking?_

_I asked first._

_I could break out of this cell and make you tell, you realize._

_So could I. Have you met the Doctor?_

River got a cold tingling down her spine, closing her diary slowly. _Yes. _

_What are you to him?_

_His wife._

Jenny was silent for a long time. _Oh._

The blonde withdrew, but River wasn't done with her yet. She cast her mental influence across the hallway and felt the girl's surprise. _What are _you _to him?_

_I'm his daughter, _Jenny thought back, and River could hear a hint of pride behind the words.

_He's never mentioned you, _River replied. Then she realized that it might have sounded hurtful, when indeed she was only asking for more information. _I didn't—_

_No, I understand, _Jenny chatted with no emotional cues what-so-ever. _You're his wife and you've just found out he had a kid. That must seem very strange to you. He didn't mention you, either, by the way._

_He might not have known me then, _River thought. _Who's your mother?_

_A machine. _River's mind was in a state of shock for a moment until Jenny clarified. _Oh my god that sounded wrong I'm sorry I was genetically engineered from the Doctor's DNA sample that's where I got my name, from the 'gen' in 'genetic', Donna proposed it—_

_Oh. _It was River's turn to be surprised, and she didn't like it. But there was one thing she had to know. _What did he look like?_

_He had a suit, and spiky hair, and these ridiculous shoes with a star on the side… I can't explain him very well, I was only with him for a few hours…_

_A few hours? What happened? _River demanded.

_I died. I regenerated, but the process was delayed and he had left before I was awake again. _Jenny pushed away River's response. _Do you know where he is?_

_I could find him._

_I'd like to see him again. I've been traveling on my own. He said we'd go together and see other stars and planets but we ran out of time._

_Jenny, he's regenerated. _

_Is Donna still with him? _The blonde asked curiously.

River pulled a blank on the name. _Who's Donna?_

_Good lord, did he tell you anything? _Jenny asked. _What does he look like now?_

_He's… a lot younger, _River grappled for a suitable explanation. _He wears a bow tie and…he's a bit ridiculous. If he ever puts on a hat, get rid of it immediately, understand?_

She could feel Jenny's laughter in the back of her mind, and realized that this girl _did _echo the Tenth.

_Now, Jenny… what would you say to breaking out of this hole and going to meet up with your dear old dad? I'd say it's high time he saw you again, and it's been a while since I've paid him a visit…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, I said I wouldn't and I didn't think I would but people keep asking and I must pleaseth the masses. Here's the second (and FINAL) chapter. **

River did _so _love surprising him.

He was tinkering away down below the console. She couldn't see _him, _per say, but she could see the showers of sparks he was occasionally sending up. He, in turn, was completely oblivious to the fact that his wife was standing two floors up, looking down on him.

It was going to be an especially good surprise, because the Doctor was even more oblivious to the fact that the daughter he thought long dead was right behind his wife. Jenny had relayed her brief adventure with the Doctor to River while they had sat sipping tea on Demiruvos IV, a tiny moon somewhere on the opposite side of Laniakea from Earth that was almost entirely devoted shops. She had explained the ordeal with the Hath and how she had been created to fight but had, at the Doctor's urging, found a way around her birthright. This echoed strongly with River, who had been raised to kill the Doctor herself. Jenny had looked surprised when River mentioned that particular bit of trivia.

"Is that why you're in prison?" She asked, not sounding apprehensive but instead curious.

"Well done," River commemorated her. "It took him positively ages to work out. Even after I killed him at the beach he didn't put it together. Had to tell him when we got married."

Jenny frowned. "You married him after you killed him? And told him after you married him?"

"Life of a Time Traveller, remember, sweetie?"

Now Jenny was standing behind River on the upper landing, trying to peek around River and catch sight of her father. River found the blonde's upbeat and endless reserves of energy contradictory. It made her seem juvenile, but as soon as River lowered her expectations and mannerisms, Jenny said or did something that made River remember that Jenny was perfectly capable. Moreover, she was the Doctor's daughter, the 1,000+ year old man with the face of a teenager and the fashion sense of a six year old. River wondered if all proper Time Lords/Ladies acted childishly, or if it was a devastating genetic mutation.

The Doctor had finished whatever it was he had been repairing/breaking-beyond-repair and resurfaced from the depths on the TARDIS console room. River waved Jenny back down the hallway. It wouldn't do to have the Doctor see her too early- that would spoil the surprise. It was rather hard to surprise someone when you were forced to arrive with the crackle and power of a Vortex Manipulator, and River wanted to make the most of it.

She waltzed down the stairs and into the Doctor's line of sight. Jenny and her had decided against confetti, as it was a too childish entrance, but River _had_ decided to wear a flashy dress. It was TARDIS blue and made of a shimmery, gossamer material, and was paired with a set of ankle-breakingly tall high-heels.

The Doctor noticed her at once, as he normally did, and swaggered around the console to meet her halfway. "Hello Sweetie."

"I believe that's my line," River contradicted him. His brazenness suggested that he was rather far along in their timestreams. At least past Area 52, but probably not to Manhattan yet. River wondered if it would be better to present Jenny to a Doctor who had already lost Amy and Rory, but the Doctor had seen her now, so it was no good.

"We can change things up a bit," the Doctor teased. He looked pointedly at her dress. "Are we going out? When did you get here, anyway? I thought I'd hear you."

River ignored his questions and moved around the console, launching the TARDIS into the vortex and leaving it there. She wondered now if the approach she and Jenny had decided on was a good one. What if the Doctor had left Jenny for a reason? In the back of her mind, she rebuked herself for such a terrible thought, but still… things could get complicated, especially with Time Lords…

Aware that the Doctor was watching her closely, and deciding she didn't have time to think up anything else anyway, River went for it. "You've never told me about your family."

The Doctor did a double take. "That was… not what I was expecting you to say."

"Honestly, though," River whittled, "We've been married… oh, I don't know how long it's been for you, but it's been a fair while for me, and you've never mentioned anyone."

"Twelve years," the Doctor said, avoiding the rest of the pointed statement.

"I'm not asking about any of your past wives. And you must have had some, I know that much, because you had a granddaughter. I also met Queen Elizabeth—" The Doctor went from deathly pale to flaming red in the span of two seconds. "— and she had a few interesting tales to tell, I can say that much. Actually, I don't particularly want to hear about your past wives either. But you've never mentioned any parents or siblings… or children…"

The Doctor was ignoring her, fiddling with a few buttons and ignoring her existence. He most certainly wasn't meeting her eyes.

"Have you had children? Well, I mean I know you must have— again, a granddaughter— but how many? Any boys?"

The Doctor's movements had turned jerky, the way they did when he was trying very hard not to snap at her and make a dramatic exit. River would normally stop at that sign (unless she was absolutely furious with him), but now, knowing what awaited him, she pushed on.

"Girls? Daughters?"

"River," the Doctor said in the quiet, controlled voice the connoted a lack of internal control, "Stop. Now. I'm asking you."

"Amy and I used to play pretend back in school. I was the mother and she was the father. Rory flipped between the son and the daughter, typically." River smiled fondly. "I used to think that I always wanted a daughter."

"River, I'm asking you, stop."

"You know what I'd name my daughter, if I had one?"

"_River—_"

"I think I'd name her Jenny," River interrupted.

The Doctor stared at her outright. River could see the gears working behind his eyes, trying to piece together the information she was displaying. His wife offered him a small smile, waiting.

"But… but you… are you having me on?" He finished angrily.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I can't… you can't… how…"

"If you're trying to stumble toward a connection with your daughter Jenny, congratulations, you almost made it," River rebuked him dryly. "She's surprisingly not cross with you for abandoning her on that planet. She stole a ship and ran away— oh, she _does_ take after her father, doesn't she?"

"River— she _died, _River, she was shot, saving me and I—" the Doctor broke off and looked down at the console, eyes brimming with tears.

River was silent for a moment. Then she called out, "I told you he was dismal at putting things together, didn't I?"

The Doctor stared at her, clearly thinking that she was addressing him, before a different voice answered from the top of the stairs.

"Yeah, you did. I suppose he should be forgiven though. I really did die."

The Doctor had gone into a state of blissful shock. He was standing with his back to the console, staring up at his lost daughter, his last daughter, dressed exactly as she had been the day he had first met her. The day she had died. But there was no bullet hole in her olive green shirt, no blood— it was like their last five minutes together had never happened. She was grinning that same, innocent, up-for-anything grin. Even her _hair _was done up the same way, the same ponytail.

But she had _died, _and he couldn't get over that hurtle.

"But… Jenny, you…"

"_Died, _Dad," Jenny agreed, grinning even broader, despite the bombshell she had just dropped. "I died on Messaline and you left me."

"I didn't mean—"

"Oh no, I wasn't accusing you. I was dead. It took a little while for the regeneration energy to kick in. I wasn't used to it. But I used it to heal the bullet wound and stole a ship and ran away. I did look for you, but… well, you said it. It's a big, big universe." Jenny was still grinning.

The Doctor was up the stairs in under two seconds, and had Jenny in his arms like drowned man staggering ashore to find his wife waiting for him. She gave a soft shriek of surprise, then laughed, truly happy. She flung her arms around him somewhat more gracefully and gently than the Doctor had approached her, grinning the broadest River had ever seen her grin.

"She turned up in Stormcage a few nights ago," River told him. "Irresponsible father, you."

The Doctor ignored her quip, but pulled back just enough to take Jenny's face in his hands. "You turned up in Stormcage? Why?"

"Broke into a bank. Actually, I broke the bank. Literally. The chandelier sort of.. well…"

"Which bank?"

"That's your question?" River called indigently. "'Which bank'?"

"The Bank of Karabraxos," Jenny answered, a little breathless. "I was in the neighborhood and caught wind that you'd showed up, or the blue box had, at least—"

"Bank of Karabraxos?" The Doctor said indignantly. "You tried to rob the Bank of Karabraxos?"

"Not rob, no, I just wanted to get inside and… well… it didn't really work…" Jenny let out a soft giggle.

That set the Doctor off, and River wasn't far behind. The TARDIS flickered the lights warmly as her Thief, her Daughter, and her Thief's daughter laughed together.

"Jenny, will you stay? Here, with me? On the TARDIS?" The Doctor asked. He looked truly terrified of the answer.

Jenny laughed even harder, leaning against her father's chest. "Of course! You promised! Well, the other you did. He was rather more attractive…"

"Hey!"

"River said you wore a fez."

"Exactly."

"What do you mean, 'exactly'?"

"If we've sorted that out and you've moved on to teasing, can we go now?" Father and daughter stared at River. "Well, I didn't put on this dress for _nothing. _Not these heels, either. I was thinking we'd go out to celebrate. 56th century Saturnian base? I believe it's no longer a chemical warfare testing site and is now a luxury resort, yes?"

"Yes. If that's, I mean, if you think, and you want to…" the Doctor stammered and choked on his own tongue as he addressed Jenny.

"Sounds lovely, Dad."

The Doctor looked the happiest River had ever seen him.


End file.
